Summer is winding down, letting go of the warm embrace of long, sunny days until next year.
While many of us will be sad to see summer go, with all the sun-kissed skin and holidays, people who struggle with summer depression are longing for autumn.
Depressive episodes can be seasonal. This is known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a type of depression that comes and goes at about the same times every year.
SAD is sometimes called ‘winter depression’ because the symptoms are usually worse during the winter.
But there’s a minority (this study says one in ten) of people with SAD who find the reverse happens: their mood plummets as the days get warmer and lighter.
That sounds counterproductive to what we are told. Isn’t sunshine, vitamin D, daylight and the great outdoors good for us? Yes! But summer, and heatwaves in particular, can have a negative effect on our mood.
Experts say that the longer days and increasing heat and humidity may play a role.
‘Mental health can be affected by the heat,’ Dr. Emma Lawrence, mental health researcher at Imperial College London tells Metro.co.uk.
As part of her work, she’s found evidence that the climate crisis is affecting our mental health. She explains that experiencing, or even just hearing about, the devastation of climate change can (understandably) make people scared and angry.
Meanwhile, air pollution isn’t just bad for the planet, Dr Emma says that they are seeing higher rates of schizophrenia, anxiety, depression, and even potentially suicide risk in areas with worst air pollution.
The hot weather does things to our brains
Back to summer depression specifically: hot weather increases the risk of suicide, and more people are likely to come to emergency services with worse symptoms of mental illness.
This is due to a a combination of either psychological, biological or social factors. The researchers of the above study, for instance, concluded that ‘the effect of hot weather on people’s temperament, are the most likely causes for the increased number of suicides.’
In other words, being too hot can make some people feel unusually irritable, aggressive or impulsive, since high temperatures change our physiology.
‘There’s changes in our in our blood flow, and in our cognition,’ Dr Emma adds.
Because of these changes, people can find themselves feeling more cranky, sleeping and eating less, being unable to focus at work, losing weight, and feeling more anxious, while fights and conflict are more likely to break out.
Good quality sleep is essential to our mental health. So if you aren’t getting enough, your mental health may suffer.
Dr Emma also warns that some antidepressants can affect the body’s ability to regulate heat temperature as well, making it even more important that they stay cool when temperatures spike.
The expectations of summer fun can be detrimental
Ian A. Cook, MD, director of the Depression Research Program at UCLA, also notes that, alongside the issues we’ve already mentioned, a disruption to our usual routine, body image issues, and financial worries can all contribute to summer depression.
33-year-old mental health advocate John Junior has experienced summer depression for as long as he can remember, but says the recent heatwaves made his symptoms more severe.
‘I’ve been in my bedroom where it’s dark [with the] blinds shut… you feel more drained, like fatigued a lot more, and it actually affects your motivation,’ John tells Metro.co.uk.
He says that his heightened anxiety over the last two months has been ‘the scariest thing ever’.
‘I’ve had it daily and I can tell you I am petrified of it – intense symptoms like dissociation, not leaving the house,’ he adds.
Outside of the biological changes to his brain, John says that struggling with summer depression is made worse by the pressure and expectations to have fun.
‘Everyone thinks because it’s summer that you automatically think it’s fun stuff to do, but actually it’s not. It’s annoying,’ he concludes.
How to cope with summer depression
To cope, John distracts himself with as best he can.
He says: ‘I go for a swim, meditate, gaming a lot helps me, going outside in the garden with my dog, even colouring in helps, mindfulness things and also to remind myself that the mood is temporary.’
John also takes Omega 3 Fatty Acids and Vitamin D to ease the SAD symptoms.
Dr Emma stresses that keeping cool can help with symptoms of summer depression, but it’s crucial that you take steps to get help if things become unmanageable.
Long NHS waiting lists can be daunting, but it is worth booking an appointment with your GP to discuss your symptoms.
In the meantime, there’s Samaritans on 116 123 and Shout, the 24/7 text messaging service, on 85258 if you need someone to talk to.
There’s also the Virtual College, which has reported higher downloads of their mental health resources in the summer than in the winter.
In response, the digital training providers have now offered their expert insight and tips on how the public can support their own and others’ mental health in the warmer weather.
Plan ahead of safeguard yourself
Dr Ian has some concluding tips, too. If you know summer depression is coming, plan ahead.
What adds to your stress, and can you do anything about it before June rolls around? On that note, do you really want that summer holiday?
Do your best to go to bed early, and exercise (in the cool of the evening or morning!), but don’t get caught up in frenzied, restrictive ‘beach body’ diets that are only going to make you feel worse.
If you have a diagnosis and take medication, you can also ask your doctor to increase your dosage for the summer months.
In the summer, we can find ourselves saying yes to every invite. Aim to do away with social obligation and only go to things when you really want to, or have the capacity.
On an emotional level, Dr Ian recommends thinking about where this could be coming from.
Do you associate summer with sadness, due to grief, for example? This may indicate issues you need to work on.
Most of all, however, it’s crucial that you don’t beat yourself up if the approach of summer fills you with dread.
It’s okay that you prefer snuggling up in cold weather to basking in sweltering temperatures. Being patient with yourself is the least you can do.
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